


Field Assignment

by lost_in_dark_places



Series: The Asset, his Mission [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Bucky's shitty past, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, It may be a shared shitty past, It should have been a cake walk, Natasha Romanov has a heart, Natasha's shitty past, Offscreen Violence, POV Original Character, The Asset FREAKS OUT, and she worries about the boys, steve gets hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 13:24:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3530945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_in_dark_places/pseuds/lost_in_dark_places
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cara Landry really wishes her first field assignment didn't involve the Avengers and Captain America's brainwashed-crazy ex-assassin buddy.</p><p>This is also Steve and Bucky's first time back in the field, chronologically before "The Asset, The Mission"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Field Assignment

**Author's Note:**

> All standard disclaimers apply- I have a couple OCs running around, but this is largely not-mine.

It wasn’t that this was Cara’s first time in the field, even though it was. It wasn’t even that the Avengers (sans Hulk, thank God) were here. It was that Captain America brought his brainwashed-crazy boyfriend along, and the guy was freaky.

The whole time they were getting briefed he was either staring into the air looking dazed, or glaring holes into the side of Captain America’s head. At the end when Director Coulson asked if he had anything to add he flinched like someone was going to hit him, and then just shook his head.

“You understand the mission, Soldier?” Captain America asked, sort of soft with a sad curve to his lips beneath the cowl.

“Protect Steve, Support the Team,” the Winter Soldier said in the creepiest of monotones, and then continued to recite the entire infil plan like a bad recording.

“Good, that’s good, Buck.” Captain America said, while his tone said the exact opposite, and the Director looked like he ate an entire lemon. That was the only time the Winter Soldier made eye contact, when the Captain said his name, but then his eyes darted to the Director and down again, like he hoped no one noticed.

So here Cara was, guarding a door with her S.O., Agent Daniels, while Hydra’s toyboy was out there somewhere with a rifle, evidence of his murdering skills splattered all over the wall near her head, and discretely piled off to the side like so much trash. Com chatter filled her ears as Ironman _would not shut up_ , and also never met a plan he didn’t ignore, which was pissing everyone else off, especially the Captain who’s most recent tirade was cut off by a hail of bullets and a wet gasp.

Next thing on the coms was Hawkeye: “Shit, Nat, shit, Asset goin’ in hot, I suggest anyone in the vicinity should make a ho-“

There was a blur of black and silver out of the woods that slammed into the door Cara was supposed to be guarding. She got an impression of wild blue eyes and stringy dark hair before she realized- _Ohmygod, he just punched his metal hand right through the base door._ Agent Daniels came up behind the Winter Soldier gun leveled, and said something like, “Stay where you are, don’t move!” and Cara saw the rage ripple across the Winter Soldier’s face. Then he ripped the door right off the hinges and hurled it at Daniels, and disappeared like a bad dream.

“After him, Landry, go.” Daniels waved her on, then started calling med support, Cara swallowed hard then pushed into the base.

It wasn’t that hard to follow the Winter Soldier, he was leaving a very identifiable trail. Most of the people he ran into were dead, but some of them were just broken, all of them looked like they’d been tossed aside, just like the door. Like the Winter Soldier couldn’t tell the difference between the people and things in his way.

There was a crackle on the coms, cutting through chaos. “Oh fuck you, Stevie.” delivered in that creepy monotone, then that channel cut out. Cara picked up the pace since god only knew what the crazy bastard might do to Captain America. . . .

Up around the corner Cara could hear meaty impacts, like a fist fight. She inched closer and she could hear that voice coming over it, “How many fucking times. . . .your dumb ass?”

Somebody else growled something in Russian.

“Nyet.” the Soldier answered, then broken around the edges, “You touch that boy, Imma fucking kill you.”

“Asset, report!” formerly-Russian ordered.

“The Asset doesn’t take orders from you,” the Soldier said, “The Asset has been reassigned.” Wet laughter. Something in Russian. The meaty sounds started again.

Cara got the sick feeling that maybe the Asset wasn’t the one she should have been worried about. Or maybe she should start worrying about him, in the what-are-they-doing-to-the-guy sense. She reached the corner and peered around.

The Black Widow was examining the lock on a door looking something between pained and murderous. Cara stepped around the corner, and for a second all the Black Widow’s lethal rage was on her. Then the Black Widow waved Cara over.

 _-I’m going to blow this.-_ she signed - _then we’re going in. Ready on three_.-

Cara signed affirmative then looked away as the Widow fixed the lock-bomb. Three seconds later it gave a anticlimactic _pfft_ , and then Cara was following the Black Widow into battle.

Cara took out the two guys standing over Captain America, bang-bang, just like at the range; while the Black Widow dove into the group around the Winter Soldier. Cara took one look over there and decided she’d do more harm than good and went to help the Captain instead.

(Some part of her mind was registering the fantastic amount of bodies flung around the room, and unfortunately it was the part that would be in charge of her nightmares later.)

The Captain—he’d been shot, and there was a lot of blood. If it was anyone else that pale she’d—but this is Captain America, he had super healing and everything so. . . he still had a pulse, okay. She had to stop the bleeding and. . . She emptied out her first aid kit for the sterile gauze pads and applied pressure. . .he was gonna be fine, right? Right.

“It’s a paralytic. . .has an antagonist probably, Natalia.” Cara glanced up from where she was putting pressure on the Captain’s wounds to see the Black Widow frisking one of the corpses, she held up something and the Soldier said “Yes.” So the Black Widow went over and jabbed it in his neck. Then she pet his hair and murmured to him.

First thing he could move was his head, and he turned it right towards the Captain. “sss-Steve.” he said.

“Shh, Yasha,” the Black Widow said, while holding Cara’s eye and shaking her head. The Winter Soldier started twitching, and then he batted the Black Widow away, and scrambled on to his hands and knees and started crawling over. The Black Widow looked drawn and kinda helpless, which was maybe the most frightening thing Cara had seen all day.

“Fuck you, Stevie,” the Winter Soldier said, as he plopped down next to the Captain, “You don’t get ta,” he was fumbling at his belt and he looked, kinda drunk almost- “You don’t get ta die on me you little bastard.” he finally found what he was looking for: a couple rolls of bandages, another handful of gauze pads, and started working around her hands to get the Captain bandaged up. The whole time he was calling the Captain every name in the book telling him “I didn’t spend fifty years in Hydra’s freezer for this shit” and “I’m so sick of your fucking antics, Rogers” and it would have been funny if the W—if Barnes wasn’t clearly losing his mind with grief and fear.

He finished tying off the bandages and barked, “Natalia, Report!” in almost the same tone as the man who’d been questioning him before.

The Black Widow visibly started, then started ratting of a précis, “Base is nearly secure with light action to the north and north west, Stark has the server room, May secured the Objective, Med evac is on the way—“ Barnes cut her off with a sharp gesture.

“Steve needs med evac.” he said, low, like he just realized it, and it wasn’t a happy realization, then his face glazed over again, “The Asset will accompany Steve through medical.” he said, dropping right into the monotone Cara never realized he had abandoned.

“Of course, Yasha,” the Black Widow said, and she started to move closer, but the Asset said something in Russian ending in “Natalia” and she backed off again with her hands out at her sides.

The Asset turned his ice blue eyes on Cara and said, “Back. Off.” through bloodied teeth.

Cara moved back so fast her back hit the wall before her mind caught up with her instincts. The Asset picked up Captain America and carried him out of the room. Cara watched them go and then turned towards the Black Widow.

“Is—do you think he’ll be okay?” Cara asked, hating how small her voice sounded.

“Which one?” Natasha asked.


End file.
